The Age of Reason, The Gothic Fiction

1. The beginning of the 18th century
in England meant not only a peaceful period in English history, but also a new
reading public - the newly-educated middle class. What were their reading
preferences, leading to the birth of the novel?

B. Realistic
depiction of the everyday life, including reflections of moral values

C. Lonely
individuals struggling to comprehend their feelings

2. From literary point of view, what was
regarded as the most important theme in literature?

A. Society,
reason (and literary form)

B. An
individual, emotions (and the content of a novel)

C. Reason,
an individual

3. As the society wanted to be informed about
everyday life (including politics), daily papers and periodicals appeared for the first time. Who is the father of the periodical?

A. Jonathan
Swift, also the author of Gulliver's
Travels

B. Alexander
Pope, also known for his satire TheDunciad

C. Daniel
Defoe, popular for well-known book RobinsonCrusoe

4. Talking about the fathers in the literary
world, do you know the father of the first English novel? The writer who has influenced many other, such as French writer Flaubert or German Goethe and his book The Sorrows of Young Werther?

A. Horace
Walpole (The Castle of Otranto)

B. Charles
Dickens (The Pickwick Papers)

C. Samuel
Richardson (Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded)

5. Henry Fielding is considered to be the
greatest novelist of the 18th century. Which literary form does he use in his book Tom Jones?

A. Picaresque
novel - the hero of a low social class is constantly on a journey

6. Interestingly, the first form of experimental
novel (which was mainly popular at the beginning of the 20th century) dates
back to the Age of Reason! The Life and
Opinions of Tristram Shandy is full of blank chapters, abstract drawings
and depictions of the narrator's consciousness. Who wrote it?

A. Laurence
Sterne

B. Ann
Radcliff

C. William
Blake

7. Gothic fiction! Forget Twilight and go back in time to the Middle Ages, dark castles,
ghosts and emotions full of terrors - the key elements of the Gothic novel
(1760's - 1820's). Who are the famous representatives of this genre?

A. Walter
Scott, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron

B. Mary
Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, Horace Walpole

C. Percy
Bysshe Shelley, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Correct Answers (with some additional
explanation)

1.B

2.A (Reason is an obvious theme in the
literature dated back to the beginning of the 18th century. However,
the perfection of the literary form was equally significant as the Age of
Reason was interested in the classical Greek and Roman past. The word
"classical" resonates the writers' need to perfect the form of their written works.
Furthermore, society as a whole was more important than individual's feelings - the exact
opposite of the Romanticism, which followed after.)

3.C (Daniel Defoe might be regarded by many as the
father of the novel. But that would not be entirely accurate as some critics suggest
that Robinson Crusoe lacks the unity
of plot and the hero does not entirely reflect human nature. However, in 1704
Defoe started his first periodical The
Review, which let to creating many more after. Therefore, he has the title of
the father of the periodical. Alexander Pope is worth mentioning as he was one
of the few poets during the Age of Reason. Irish Jonathan Swift criticizes in
his satirical book Gulliver's Travels various
themes such as corrupted society, human nature or the use of weapons.)

4.C (Not that many people know, and even less
of them have read anything written by the father of the novel and the author
of the book Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.
However, this epistolary novel (a novel written in letters) with long
descriptions was highly popular back in the day. Horace Walpole wrote the gothic
fiction, while Dickenson came much later, writing books full of social
criticism.)

6.A (I tried to read the book, but it is not
easy at all. More importantly, Sterne's writing style had a profound impact on
the writers at the beginning of the 20th century, like James Joyce
or Virginia Woolf, both experimenting with the traditional form of the novel.)

7.B (With his book The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole kicked off the gothic novel.
Mary Shelley wrote the famous masterpiece Frankenstein,
or The Modern Prometheus - do not forget that Frankenstein is not the
actual Monster, on the contrary, he is its creator. Ann Radcliffe wrote The Mysteries of Udolpho - providing a
logical explanation of all the mysterious elements employed throughout the
book. By the way, C is composed of romantic poets who will be mentioned in the
upcoming quiz...)

Reading Tips:

Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe - this novel
stirred my emotions. In certain situations, Crusoe turns out to be unbelievably selfish and self-absorbed, sometimes even racist (when he talks
about his loyal friend Friday). But I would recommend reading it as it is something completely different compared to all its adaptations for
children you might have read before.

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein, or The Modern
Prometheus - before starting the novel, I would suggest doing some background research,
including the history of the book and its symbolism. And yes, some parts can appear
to be extremely long to read, but once again, after finishing it, you will be
surprised what the original Frankenstein's story looks like (yes, forget the
modern movie version of Frankenstein with Daniel Radcliffe and James).